Do you have to work as a CNA before going to nursing school?

Nurses General Nursing

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Do you have to work as a CNA? Some people say no and some say it could make a difference between you being accepted into the Nursing program or not. Like you May be selected over someone who has no previous medical background. I did go to Massage Therapy school but I don’t think that would be considered as having a Medical background.

On 4/1/2019 at 1:21 PM, OldDude said:

My school didn't require it and I didn't...but I was envious of those who had CNA experience. They seemed to grasp the concepts easier and sooner; class and clinicals.

It's one thing if you happened to be CNA and decided to become RN. That is a natural advantage.

But advising someone go to CNA school, work as a CNA, then go to RN school, is a foolish waste of time. That is what school is for: it is for training. Any competently designed RN program, attended by a diligent responsible student, will produce a competent capable RN, whether or not they went to CNA school.

The only thing i can see going to CNA school first, when you have already decided you want to be RN, and assuming you have the means to do it, is wasting precious time. You will get the experience in school (adjusting to medical environment and clinical situations). Your first employer will expect a novice, if they are any good at all, and ease you on to the floor.

I say if you have the means to go to RN school now, go *now*, do not think you have to pay dues as CNA first; you are wasting time not being trained for your career.

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Specializes in school nurse.
On 4/2/2019 at 12:43 PM, Spidey's mom said:

Like everyone has been saying, it depends.

This subject has come up many times here on AN and I've answered it before but thought I'd weigh in again. Lots of good comments so far.

My mentor, a wonderful nurse who was also our DON at the local hospital where I would work, advised me not to go the CNA route. She had been a nurse for over 20 years, trained in the "old school" days. She told me not to bother becoming a CNA and working as a CNA because for the 1st 6 weeks what we learn is basic patient care, like what CNA's do. And when we start clinical time, we start our with basic care as well. And work our way up to IV's, med passes, and other nursing duties.

I went back to school in my late 30's to become a nurse. I was a stay-at-home mom and didn't want to add anything else to my life that would take my focus away from my kids, who are/were #1 in my life.

I did work as a MA for a local doctor who took me under his wings and let me do so many "nurse" things, let me help with small surgeries, I gave shots, drew blood, and started my 1st IV there as well.

I graduated at 40.

I'm glad I followed my mentor's advice.

For me it wasn't so much the training in the CNA class, but the actual experiences that helped. If you work in a good place, ask questions and keep your ears and eyes open, you can learn a lot of helpful things at the job- things that will help you in nursing school.

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Specializes in school nurse.
9 hours ago, NooNieNursie said:

It's one thing if you happened to be CNA and decided to become RN. That is a natural advantage.

But advising someone go to CNA school, work as a CNA, then go to RN school, is a foolish waste of time. That is what school is for: it is for training. Any competently designed RN program, attended by a diligent responsible student, will produce a competent capable RN, whether or not they went to CNA school.

The only thing i can see going to CNA school first, when you have already decided you want to be RN, and assuming you have the means to do it, is wasting precious time. You will get the experience in school (adjusting to medical environment and clinical situations). Your first employer will expect a novice, if they are any good at all, and ease you on to the floor.

I say if you have the means to go to RN school now, go *now*, do not think you have to pay dues as CNA first; you are wasting time not being trained for your career.

This site is replete with posts from people regretting going to nursing school, many of whom had never touched a patient prior to making that decision. I think an added benefit of working in a hands-on setting is that it can help you make a more informed decision about making that leap. Mandatory? Obviously not. (Except for in the programs mentioned in prior posts.) Helpful? I strongly believe it is.

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Specializes in NICU.

My area gives more points to those with healthcare experience (usually CNAs, EMTs, and MAs). Often more points for more hours to a certain extent.

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Deffinetly not, and actually in school those with experience do not have the advantage academically because real practice vs nclex and school is not always the same and lots of bias .... fresh new mind excels ... it does help with clinicals and not being nervous with patients, I’ve seen with some classmates...

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10 hours ago, Jedrnurse said:

This site is replete with posts from people regretting going to nursing school, many of whom had never touched a patient prior to making that decision. I think an added benefit of working in a hands-on setting is that it can help you make a more informed decision about making that leap. Mandatory? Obviously not. (Except for in the programs mentioned in prior posts.) Helpful? I strongly believe it is.

This^.

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Where I attend, after successful completion of the first semester (Foundations of Nursing Practice) you may take the test to become a CNA. So, it's not necessarily a requirement, but a reward you could say. On the other hand, we have those who are EMT/EMS, MA, techs and they do have a slight advantage. There are others thers who do not have any health care experience in our program and are some of the best students. We all took the same pre-reqs, same entrance exam (TEAS) and did the necessary clearance requirements. The further along you progress in the program, I believe the playing field will even out.

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On 4/3/2019 at 8:45 PM, StudentRN07 said:

Deffinetly not, and actually in school those with experience do not have the advantage academically because real practice vs nclex and school is not always the same and lots of bias .... fresh new mind excels ... it does help with clinicals and not being nervous with patients, I’ve seen with some classmates...

Great point

It is going to be a transition switching from "how it really works" to how it works in test land.

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On 4/3/2019 at 2:33 PM, Jedrnurse said:

This site is replete with posts from people regretting going to nursing school, many of whom had never touched a patient prior to making that decision. I think an added benefit of working in a hands-on setting is that it can help you make a more informed decision about making that leap. Mandatory? Obviously not. (Except for in the programs mentioned in prior posts.) Helpful? I strongly believe it is.

This is also a good point

however OP is asking if it is necessary, suggesting she wants to do it to try to "get in" to the program, and would otherwise go right away.

I went to a very old fashioned ADN program. Within like, the first week we were doing CNA work in the hospital. You knew early if this is something you were interested in or not. Things might be different now with BSN programs, but i think most nursing education is like, get them on the floor right away, learn from observation and experience not just classroom.

A CNA license takes 6 weeks to obtain and it isnt free. Unless the OP is also looking for a job/money, i think the better thing to do would be apply now to start the process... if she is uncertain about whether or not it is right for her, she can maybe try to volunteer at the hospital just to observe the floor so she can actually see the tasks of various nursing staff better.

Working as CNA can actually have opposite effect; she may think being a RN is being a CNA and decide it isnt right for her on that basis, which would be false. We know CNA work is immensely laborious and difficult physically, and it also is not an accurate representation of a typical day of work for RN.

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